Households

  • Shop at bulk food stores that allow you to refill your own packaging, such as Flame Tree Coop (Thirroul), Wholistic Living (Woonona) or The Source Bulk Foods (Wollongong, Shell Cove, Bowral etc).

  • Take sturdy reusable bags with you when you go shopping. You can buy lightweight reusable bags that fit into your pocket or handbag, or keep a few in the boot of your car. You can often purchase a paper shopping bag at the checkout if you don’t have your reusable bag with you.

  • Ask your local butcher or fast food cafe if you can bring your own container.

  • Take a reusable coffee cup with you to cafes, or just use a ceramic mug from home. Even better, sit down in the cafe and relax while you drink your coffee.

  • Take a reusable water bottle with you when you’re out and about. Tap water is free.

  • Buy fruit and vegetables loose, or buy a set of reusable mesh produce bags to replace single use plastic bags.

  • Buy fruit and vegetables from a local community farm. Social enterprise Green Connect sells fruit and vegetables in reusable cardboard boxes that are returned and reused many times. Small loose items come in paper bags. At the end of their useful life the boxes are used for weed and moisture control at the farm.

  • Try growing some of your own food! There is lots of advice online, e.g. from Milkwood or Gardening Australia.

  • Place food waste directly into your green bin - there’s no need to put it in a compostable plastic bag (it’s still plastic!).

  • Place your residual waste directly into your red bin - there’s no need to place it into a plastic rubbish bag.

  • Look for businesses that sell reusable alternatives to single use plastics, such as Banish.

  • Look for businesses that have a circular closed loop container supply chain. ZeroCo is doing this for personal-care and home-cleaning products. The original ‘forever bottles’ and refill pouches are made from 50% recycled plastic and ocean plastic and 40% recycled materials respectively. Pouches can be posted back to ZeroCo for recycling at no charge. They also run campaigns to clean up plastic pollution in litter hotspots around the world.

  • Buy laundry detergent strips such as Enviroclean or Tru Earth (there are many others) which use less packaging

  • Find more suggestions at Plastic Free July

Tips to avoid unnecessary packaging

Tips to help you recycle as much as possible

  • Medication Blister packs can be recycled through Blooms Chemists (Figtree store confirmed)

  • Check the Australasian Recycling Label on your packaging to find out how to dispose or recycle it.

  • Garden pots can be dropped at selected Bunnings stores for recycling.

  • Printer cartridges, computers, data storage (CDs, DVDs, USBs), mobile phones and pens can be dropped at Officeworks stores for recycling.

  • Donate salable clothes, toys, DVDs, Books etc to charity shops such as Australian Red Cross, Vinnies and Salvation Army.

  • Drop-off any unwanted clothes or textiles to H&M in Wollongong for reuse or recycling.

  • Council-run Community Recycling Centres accept a range of products for recycling e.g. E-waste, batteries, light bulbs and paint. Check your local council’s website to find out what they accept.

  • Aluminium coffee capsules can be recycled through Nespresso boutiques.

  • Non-salable towels, sheets, mattress protectors etc (any brand) can be recycled through the Sheridan outlet store Shellharbour.

Businesses and organisations

  • Work with your suppliers to eliminate any unnecessary packaging

  • Switch to reusable packaging where feasible

  • Buy products and packaging made from recycled plastics to help ‘close the loop’

Separate your clear plastic wrap (e.g. pallet wrap) for recycling, Many waste contractors such as Flagstaff will collect both cardboard and clear film

Find a recycler at Planet Ark Businessrecycling

Cafes

Tips to avoid unnecessary packaging

  • Encourage customers to bring in a reusable coffee cup, by offering these for sale or providing a small discount if they BYO

  • Check out the Better Cup Guide from Responsible Cafes

  • Investigate swap and go systems for coffee cups like Green Caffeen (invented by Kiama locals)

  • Provide takeaway meals in recyclable packaging, such as paper and cardboard

  • Be cautious about using compostable packaging as this isn’t always the best solution (reduce, reuse and recycle first). Read this guide from Responsible Cafes

  • Discover more useful strategies at Boomerang Alliance Plastic Free Places

Tips to help you recycle as much as possible

  • Separate your clear plastic wrap (e.g. pallet wrap) for recycling, Many waste contractors such as Flagstaff will collect both cardboard and clear film

  • Find a recycler at Planet Ark Businessrecycling

Help us reduce plastic waste in the Illawarra.